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Harris Turns Focus to September Debate; Trump Campaign Seeks Support from RFK Jr. Voters; Husband Faces Charges over Missing Virginia Mother; Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks "Moving Forward"; Ukraine Marks Independence Day as U.S. Sends More Aid; Indian Prime Minister Wraps Up Visit to Kyiv; Tropical Storm Shanshan Moves toward Japan; Half of Gay Penguin Couple Dies; Sports Highlights. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired August 24, 2024 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drops out of the presidential race and endorses Donald Trump. We'll look at the impact this could have in red and blue states.

Kamala Harris sets her sights on her first debate as the Democrats' presidential candidate will look at what she's doing to prepare.

Plus a storm in the Pacific is set to impact Hawaii in the next few days. Why authorities are worried about the high winds as well as the rain.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin this hour focused on the 2024 race for the White House now moving into high gear, with the conventions in the rearview mirror. The balloons have dropped and Vice President Kamala Harris is now formally the Democratic presidential nominee.

Now the candidates are looking forward to their first head-to-head debate on September 10th. But Donald Trump slammed Harris' convention remarks, falsely claiming she didn't discuss the border or the economy and mocking her speech. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She mentioned the Trump name many, many times, like 19 or 21 or something. She didn't mention the border. She didn't mention inflation. She didn't mention the bad economy. She didn't mention crime.

Did you see the beginning?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I said, what the hell is wrong with her?

But then she recovered. She did much better but she didn't tell anything. She didn't say anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Trump held a rally in Las Vegas Nevada on Friday, part of a swing state tour he conducted this week to provide counter programming to the DNC. Nielsen says the last night of the decision drew in more than 26 million viewers, peaking at nearly 29 million while Harris was speaking.

Trump also discussed the economy and his record on reproductive issues. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm very strong on women's reproductive rights, the IVF very strong. I mean, we're leaders in it and I think people are seeing that and votes are being taken.

And that's what they've wanted for years, for 52 years they wanted votes to be taken by the states. And they wanted Roe v. Wade to be brought into the states. And it's really happening.

It's really happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now when he was pressed about how he plans to pay for some of his economic plans, he said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: How do you plan to pay for it?

TRUMP: Growth. We're going to have tremendous growth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In Arizona, Trump was joined by independent candidate RFK Jr., who suspended his campaign earlier in the day and gave his endorsement to Trump. The Trump campaign hopes that Kennedy's exit from the race might be the key to victory in some tightly contested battleground states.

Republicans believe his supporters could give them enough votes to win if races are close and decided by a few thousand ballots, which is what happened in 2020. CNN's Kristen Holmes was at Trump's rally in Arizona. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former president Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix, talked for roughly more than an hour. But the most notable part of his traditional (INAUDIBLE) his campaign endorsed Donald Trump earlier in day.

We spoke about why it was that he was backing the former president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. (I-OK), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The best way to build a safe America is to rebuild our industrial base and rebuild the middle class in this country.

And don't you want a president who's going to get us out of the wars and who's going to rebuild the middle class in this country?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now this endorsement came after weeks of high-level conversations which Trump received and RFK orbit namely spearheading this on Donald Trump's side, was done here in Wisconsin. And Tucker Carlson believed that (INAUDIBLE) RFK on board with Donald Trump.

There wasn't a sense of urgency in getting this endorsement particularly as Kamala Harris ascended to the top of the ticket. They did believe that most of the votes RFK was going to siphon off the candidates were going to come from Donald Trump, not Kamala Harris.

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Now I just want to give you a little bit of insight to what they think is moving forward. Obviously we do not know where our CNN reporters are going to go with a lock but they look at polling like here in Arizona that show that RFK was polling at roughly 6 percent.

In that same "The New York Times" poll, we saw Donald Trump at 42 percent and Kamala Harris at 45 percent. They believe they can get just a little bit of that 6 percent back could make the difference in the election in November which they believe will be decided by a razor thin margin -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, Arizona.

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BRUNHUBER: The Harris campaign is also hoping to gain some support from would-be Kennedy voters, releasing a statement saying, quote, "For any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you."

And days after officially accepting the Democratic nomination, Kamala Harris is looking ahead. She is expected to spend much of the coming weeks preparing for her first debate against Trump, set for September 10th. During that time, her campaign staff is expected to work on building

up infrastructure, especially in battleground states, where they hope to pick up more support from voters who have been turned off by Donald Trump.

Earlier, I spoke with Thomas Gift, the director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, about the new, cozy alliance between Trump and Kennedy. Here he is.

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THOMAS GIFT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Trump at various points has called RFK Jr. a Democratic plant, a liberal lunatic and the dumbest member of the Kennedy family. But it was really a love fest between them last night at this event in Arizona.

Still, it's unclear to me that Kennedy is dropping out is going to have a huge impact on the race. I think different polls seem to disagree about whether Kennedy was siphoning off more votes from Harris or Trump.

And there's also some evidence that Kennedy backers are less likely to vote overall. Plus, I think Kennedy's poll numbers have really dropped in recent months. Earlier this year, some polls had him at around 15 percent or so. More recent numbers seem like 5 percent to 6 percent.

There something to be said about breaking up the two two-party monopoly but you would have thought that, this year of any year, a third-party candidate would have been able to break through.

But RFK Jr. really didn't gain momentum. There was no third party candidate from No Labels. I'm not sure that this is going to have a huge impact on the race at this point.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we shall see. Meanwhile, Harris is coasting on the wave from the DNC.

So the question everyone is asking is, how does she capitalize on the momentum here and translate all this enthusiasm and energy into actual political gain?

GIFT: Yes, no, that's a really good question because these conventions are essentially political infomercials for parties. They're pep rallies and obviously Democrats are hugely enthusiastic coming out of the last week. They are energized.

That's words that really haven't been used a whole lot to describe Democrats while Joe Biden was still the nominee. I think the big question now is how Harris is going to respond in some more unscripted setting.

She's been criticized by Republicans for not doing any press conferences. She's been criticized for not doing any sitdown Q&As with journalists. Eventually, she's going to have to get more specific.

And I think that that time it's now. Her honeymoon is really coming to an end. And this is where things get real for Harris.

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BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump is appealing a judge's decision to remain on his civil fraud case and he's appealing the $454 million fine he was ordered to pay. Trump's attorneys are challenging a decision by Judge Arthur Engoron to stay on the case, despite what they call prohibited communications.

The Republican presidential nominee alleges that the judge spoke with a real estate lawyer about the case before he handed down his decision to find Trump liable for fraud earlier this year.

Judge Engoron says, the real estate lawyer accosted him and their short interaction was, quote, "a nothing burger."

A Virginia mother, who has been missing for more than three weeks, has been presumed dead. Police say they believe Mamta Bhatt was killed by her husband, Naresh. He stopped cooperating with investigators and faces a felony charge of concealment of a body.

There's also evidence of blood inside the couple's Manassas home. Mamta's colleagues at an area hospital were concerned and asked for a welfare check.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've said to myself many times that I have failed her. And the truth is we all have some degree of something that we wish we would have done differently.

I will say what I'm confident this community is going to do, is be a voice for Mamta so that, if another woman is in a vulnerable situation, things will be done differently. I don't think we're scared to be aggressive on a woman's behalf anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Police are still looking for the woman's body. They said it appears that she was killed inside the home and then dragged outside.

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The couple's year-old daughter is in the custody of social services.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz is condemning Friday's deadly knife attack at a music festival as "a terrible event" by an assassin. He promised the perpetrator would be caught and punished. Police say three people were killed and eight others were injured, five of them seriously.

Special police forces in Solingen, Germany, are on the hunt for a male suspect, who got away after the deadly stabbing attack. The city's mayor says police are experiencing -- people are experiencing shock, horror and great sadness. Authorities have backed away from an initial assessment that it was

terror-related. They say the knife attack was deliberate and they're asking for the public's help.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): But of course, we have not been informed of any motives. We are, of course, still in urgent need of witnesses. Videos, photos, we will take anything.

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BRUNHUBER: The White House says Gaza ceasefire talks are moving forward. Israel has offered a new plan for some of its troops. But major obstacles remain. We'll have the latest in a live report from the region next.

Plus U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, the key mediators to a Gaza ceasefire deal. Potential significance of the calls and more when we return, please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Gaza ceasefire talks appear to be picking up momentum. Hamas says it will send a delegation to Cairo to hear from mediators about the latest proposals.

Tensions are running high in the Middle East as cease-fire talks are expected to continue over the weekend.

The Israeli military says more than 115 projectiles were launched toward Israel from its northern and southern borders on Friday. The vast majority of the launches came from Lebanon. It marks one of the fiercest days of cross-border fighting in recent weeks.

Now the launches happened the same day ceasefire negotiators met in Cairo. Those talks are expected to resume on Sunday following reports of progress made on Friday. Israel offered a new proposal about the plan for its troops along Gaza's southern border with Egypt.

Meanwhile, the White House says the talks were constructive and are moving forward. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian and Qatari leaders about trying to close the remaining gaps. Want to go live now to Tel Aviv and CNN's Nic Robertson.

So Nic, on the negotiations, where do things stand right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the Hamas delegation has gone to Cairo. That's certainly a positive. They have so far indicated that they are unhappy with the bridging proposal that was put forward by the United States, the details of which have been talked about within some of the technical meetings.

And you referenced Israel's new position on the Philadelphi corridor, the 8.5 mile border between Gaza and Egypt, that Israel has proposed and provided mapping and details to show that it will put fewer troops along that border.

That seems to be part of the technical discussions and the Egyptian interlocutors have said that they will put that to Hamas.

Hamas' umbrella position at the moment is it feels that the U.S. bridging proposal shades its support far too much with Israel.

Hamas has said they accepted the proposal put forward by President Biden at the end of -- at the end of May, that was -- then became sort of more enshrined, if you will, in a U.N. Security Council resolution later in June.

But it's not clear what position Hamas is going to take over this new mapping and dispensation of Israeli troops along there, along the Philadelphi corridor, in a strong part because they absolutely object to any Israeli troops remaining inside of -- inside of Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal.

However, what we're hearing from the White House and what we're -- the positioning that we seem to have had from Hamas over recent months is there is an understanding, that there's a ritual sort of three-phase plan, six weeks of hostage release and ceasefire.

The second phase, you would have go on to a complete ceasefire. You'd have more of the hostages, the male hostages, released. The third phase, the third six weeks would be the real ramp-up of humanitarian aid.

The linkage between a ceasefire to get the hostages released and a permanent ceasefire, the White House is indicating that the aspiration that they have at the moment is just to get those first weeks to stick.

And this appears to be something that Hamas understands but, of course, is going to push to get in the first six weeks, push to get that permanent ceasefire. There were so many other sticking points on this deal.

But the idea that Israel has recalibrated its position on the Philadelphi corridor, that we haven't heard a final position from Hamas yet, a yes, no or something in between on the U.S. bridging proposal, this is what's giving the room and hope that maybe the talks this weekend can bring a greater level of success. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate that Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Dahlia Scheindlin, political analyst and fellow at The Century Foundation. And she also joins me from Tel Aviv.

Thanks so much for being here with us. So we just heard there from Nic, an element of optimism, which we've been, to be fair, hearing all throughout the week.

Where do you think things stand?

And do you get a sense that Benjamin Netanyahu actually wants this deal to get over the line?

DAHLIA SCHEINDLIN, POLITICAL ANALYST; FELLOW, THE CENTURY FOUNDATION: I think that the question of optimism is very difficult. I don't want to overstate the case about how much we know.

Israelis and Palestinians and everybody who's watching this are living in a kind of Rashomon-like environment, in which each side says that it is the more willing partner, while each side is essentially not able to come to an agreement over those bridging proposals.

And I think that the fundamental disagreements go back to what Nic called the umbrella position, which is that Hamas ultimately wants the permanent ceasefire.

[05:20:02]

Israel so far, the government, has rejected that at all costs. The question of what happens at the Philadelphi corridor is significant. But as far as the Israeli security chiefs are concerned, this is a deal that can be advanced from their perspective.

The ultimate question is political. The Israeli government knows that any sort of a ceasefire deal that's being discussed now, according to the current terms, might very well lead to that permanent ceasefire, no matter how it's defined.

And ultimately, this is a government that has conveyed, time and again, that it is not willing to end this war. There are key coalition partners who want the war to go on so that Israel can conquer, occupy and resettle Gaza.

Now whether Netanyahu agrees with that, you know, he says he does not want to reconquer and occupy and resettle Gaza. But we see that he has so far not been amenable to the kinds of proposals that would have led to a ceasefire.

So it is difficult to be optimistic. We've been through these rounds before. And it's, given how slow the process is, given how Israel has added conditions, Hamas has rejected changes from those earlier proposals by the Biden administration, it's very hard to see that this will come to fruition over this next week.

BRUNHUBER: (INAUDIBLE) talking in the context of a ceasefire but, of course, the other very important half of this is the hostages. And you've argued that the hostages have become political pawns, not just between Israel and Hamas but within Israel itself. Explain what you mean.

SCHEINDLIN: Absolutely.

The Israeli rightwing position has over the -- really quite early been that any deal that allows the release of Palestinian prisoners is too much of a concession for the hostages in return for the living hostages. This is a position that goes back to earlier rounds of hostage taking in the past.

But this time, the added factor, that a hostage release would mean a ceasefire, completely contradicts the political aims that I mentioned earlier, that the right-wing and particularly the government does not want to end this war.

They would like to continue and make Gaza essentially uninhabitable for Palestinians or at the very least that they can't return to the north and that Israel would start the process of reoccupying.

And so they know that a hostage release deal with not only the release of Palestinian prisoners, which I think there's a very legitimate argument that that is a serious threat to security, it's a dilemma that happens in every hostage release.

But the added factor of a ceasefire means that it contradicts their political aims. Now the rest of Israelis -- and I should, I should emphasize, a majority at least 50 percent or even a plurality but usually a full majority in surveys consistently, from the beginning of the war, is by Israelis, want a hostage release even when it means a cease-fire.

They are prepared to trade that ceasefire for the release of the hostages. But the right wing of the current government led by Netanyahu -- and I should clarify, it's not just right-wing; it's an extreme ultra-nationalist government with theocratic, ultra- nationalist coalition partners.

And they have a stalwart support of about one-third. let's say, of the population in survey research -- OK, we're talking about polls -- who are committed to avoiding that ceasefire, advancing those political aims.

And as a result, they have taken the position that the hostages should be seen as just a sacrifice, people who were essentially killed like every -- like all the other 1,200 people on October 7th.

And of course, this is something that the majority of Israelis bitterly reject.

BRUNHUBER: You're talking about polls. So I wanted to dig into this with a minute or so we have remaining. We're what, 10 months into this war, no deal to bring the hostages home. The country facing more threats from abroad.

Now with a widening war than it than it did on day one, might think that the man who sort of got Israel to this point would be tremendously unpopular. But that doesn't appear to be the case. In fact, you say his -- Netanyahu's stock is actually rising. So take us through what the polls are saying and why that would be.

SCHEINDLIN: Let me try to clarify.

It is true that he's unpopular. The majority of Israelis are still against him, don't trust what he says, don't believe when he talks about total victory and would like to have early elections. And so that is the case alongside the fact that he is seeing a recovery in surveys because he hit such a low point after the war.

Before the war, his government had already lost its majority in surveys, in polls very consistently. After the war, it plunged even further. The parties of his coalition, his party, his personal rating sank to unprecedented lows in my experience of only 25 years.

And what happened was that, for the first six months, he was so unpopular and there was such a rebellion against his government, at least in terms of public attitudes, that people thought he could never recover.

But around April, his polling began to recover somewhat. And that process has continued, particularly each time there is an escalation or a threat of escalation with Iran.

[05:25:00]

And so he has brought himself back up to roughly the pre-war levels, which are still not as good as his 2022 election results. So both of those things are true.

He is unpopular among the majority but he is recovering to about roughly one-third to 40 percent who centrally support him and his government. It's still not enough for his government to regain its majority, in at least by survey research.

But we have to qualify all of this.

We don't know when elections will be held. And these external escalations, the threat of a regional war, is something that Israeli -- that tends to make some of his initial supporters go back to supporting him, a kind of rally around the flag effect that he did not get after October 7th.

Gaza is essentially a losing issue for him but he, I think, sees that he has the capacity to recover and certainly he's watching those surveys closely as well.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, so much can still change, as you say. Dahlia Scheindlin, thank you so much, really appreciate it.

SCHEINDLIN: Thank you for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRUNHUBER: French authorities are responding to a suspected arson attack on a synagogue in the southern city of La Grande Motte on Saturday. The French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said that all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator.

Darmanin will visit the scene this afternoon. CNN has reached out to French police for further information.

All right. Lots more to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, including the latest in the race for the White House, now shifting into high gear.

Plus Ukraine's president sends a bold message to Russia as his country marks its Independence Day. His point is, Russia's deeds have backfired. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Returning to our top story, the race for the White House. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump hit two swing states on Friday, holding events in Arizona and in Nevada. In Arizona, Trump was joined on stage by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who earlier in the day, suspended his independent presidential bid and gave Trump his endorsement.

Now the focus shifts to September 10th, when Trump will face off in a head-to-head debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris wrapped up the Democrats' convention in Chicago with a major pile of cash.

According to the fundraising platform, ActBlue, Democrats raised $7.2 million during Harris' acceptance speech alone and more than $100 million over the past week. Priscilla Alvarez has more on what's ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Harris campaign officials and advisers celebrated the Democratic National Convention and the vice president keynote remarks, calling it a home run.

They also know there's a lot of work ahead.

The vice president has been described as being clear-eyed on what needs to be done over the next several weeks as they try to win in November, knowing, of course, that is going to be a tight race.

Now of course, in the media, future the vice president, according to sources, I've spoken with, is going to be focused on debate preparation. That is something that is already starting to get underway for that September 10 presidential debate.

Knowing, of course, that is going to bring in large audiences and offers the vice president yet another opportunity to speak to voters and also go head to head against former president Donald Trump.

Now she will still be hitting the road over the next couple of weeks ahead of that September 10 debate, just not at the same pace as the last couple of weeks in which she hit every battleground state.

But in the interim, certainly the campaign will be building out infrastructure, including in battleground states like North Carolina, where the battleground campaign director said that they are trying to be bullish on states like North Carolina, hoping that they can make inroads with voters who may be turned off by former president Donald Trump.

We saw much of that, too, with the suspension of RFK Jr.'s campaign.

Biden campaign director saying in a statement, quote, "For any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you," a message the campaign will be delivering over the course of the next several weeks.

And again, the vice president tries to bridge the gap with any independent voters, trying to be moderate in her messaging. Now the vice president will be hitting the trail over the next couple of weeks and quite aggressively over the weeks ahead of November.

But for now, the campaign celebrating what they saw as a successful Democratic National Convention -- Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is sending more military aid to Ukraine while taking new steps to crack down on Russia's war machine. Kyiv is getting $125 million worth of new military equipment. It includes air defenses as well as ammunition for artillery and the HIMARS systems, along with anti-tank weapons.

Washington is also slapping new sanctions on some 400 people and entities reportedly helping Moscow's war effort. They include Chinese companies that the U.S. say are providing Russia with key technology and tools for weapons manufacturing.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sending a defiant message to Russia as his country marks Independence Day and he hosts an ally. His Polish counterpart arrived in Kyiv Saturday morning by train to take part in the event, marking 33 years of Ukrainian sovereignty.

A short time ago, Zelenskyy released this video message to the nation. He spoke from the Sumy region, where Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia more than two weeks ago. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of sowing evil in Ukraine, which he said is coming back to haunt Russia, here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Nine hundred 13 days ago, Russia unleashed war against us, including through the Sumy region. It violated not only our sovereign borders but also the limits of cruelty and common sense.

It was endlessly striving for one thing, to destroy us. Instead, today, we celebrate our 33rd Independence Day of Ukraine. And whatever the enemy was bringing to our land has now returned to their home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Zelenskyy spoke a day after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his visit to Kyiv. He went there just weeks after making a friendly visit to Russia, where he was seen hugging president Vladimir Putin.

As Marc Stewart reports, Modi is now trying to build a bond with Ukraine's leader.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A message of compassion from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi during this visit to Ukraine.

We have some images of the prime minister with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they paid tribute to children who had been killed in the conflict.

There's a moment where the two men hugged, a contrast to a similar image from July when the prime minister embraced Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

[05:35:04]

The Indian prime minister also issued a tweet that reads, "Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives. And I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief."

This is a complicated relationship. India has called for a ceasefire but it hasn't condemned Russia for its invasion. It's abstained from all resolutions with Ukraine at the United Nations. Geopolitics may be behind it as the Kremlin helps India with military equipment.

India also buys crude oil from Russia. Nonetheless, discussions are moving forward with prime minister Modi promising to continue humanitarian assistance to Ukraine -- Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of Hawaii. Heavy rain is expected. We will tell you what experts are saying about the dangers of fire as well. Stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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BRUNHUBER: Storm warnings are in effect in parts of Hawaii as tropical storm Hone moves toward the islands.

Now the storm has strengthened a bit and now has maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. Meteorologists say the storm will pass south of Hawaii this weekend and bring heavy rain to parts of the big island.

The storm will also increase the fire dangers ahead of the storm's arrival. Red flag warnings are in effect for the leeward parts of the islands. Luckily the danger associated with the storm isn't as severe as what hit the islands last year.

Tropical storm Hone is just one of several storms churning in the Pacific and another, Shanshan, could hit Japan directly as a typhoon.

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BRUNHUBER: Prosecutors have now opened a manslaughter investigation in connection with the sinking this week of a luxury yacht. It comes after a seventh body has been recovered after the yacht sank in the Mediterranean off Italy's Sicilian coast. All who were board have now been accounted for.

The yacht went down on Monday after its mast broke in half during a violent storm; 22 people were on board when it hit, seven of whom died. The final body recovered was that of Hannah Lynch, the 18-year- old daughter of British tech tycoon, Mike Lynch, who also died in the incident.

Hannah's older sister, Esme Lynch, paid tribute, describing Hannah as, quote, "the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me."

We'll be right back.

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BRUNHUBER: Sphen, an Australian penguin who became an unlikely global symbol for equality, has died at age 11.

Sphen was one-half of a same-sex penguin couple. With his other half, Magic, they rose to global fame in 2018 when they became a couple. They raised two chicks together and inspired millions of fans throughout the world.

Now Sea Life Sydney Aquarium is helping Magic to mourn and move forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now for more on this story, we're joined live from New Zealand by Professor John Cockrem, a biologist who studies penguins.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

First, what can you tell us about this couple, how they got together and their life as a couple?

PROFESSOR JOHN COCKREM, PENGUIN BIOLOGIST: So they were in captivity in the Sydney Zoo on Friday. I don't know the details about how they came to be together there. But it's not uncommon to have same sex peers of penguins in captivity. This has happened for five different species of penguins.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's fascinating.

And these two, I guess, what distinguished them was just how much time they spent together, right?

I mean, usually couples sort of form during the mating season and they kind of go away. These ones basically just were together all the time. They even became successful parents, raising several chicks together.

What stood out for you about their -- the way they were?

COCKREM: Certainly, the length of that peer bond is unusual. And then, as you say, normally pairing is active during the breeding season and not active outside of the breeding season. But it seems in this case the peer was maintained throughout the year.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Apparently, Magic began singing when he saw his partner's dead body and then the rest of the colony joined in. You know, I don't want to anthromorphocize (sic) here. We don't know how or even if penguins mourn.

But certainly it was touching to hear about that.

COCKREM: As you say, we -- it's difficult for us to look with our human eyes at what penguins are doing.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You said it's not terribly uncommon for penguins to form same-sex relationships.

I mean, is that unusual more broadly in the natural world?

COCKREM: There are at least five species in captivity -- in captivity, of course, there's an unusual situation. There is one species here in New Zealand, the yellow-eyed penguin,

where there are male-male couples in the wild. This was a situation where there are many more males than females. So there are not enough females to go around.

And these birds are actively managed. And there in the wild, male-male couples have been given eggs. And they will think about the eggs and raise chicks. So that has been done in the wild when the bird has been given chicks -- sorry; given eggs.

[05:50:03]

In terms of natural pairings, there is information about the gentoo penguins in the wild, males displaying to each other.

BRUNHUBER: It's fascinating and we're seeing the pictures of them together.

I mean, they were so famous. They were featured in documentaries. There were, there were images of them in parades, at pride parades, for instance.

Why do you think that they resonated worldwide with so many people?

COCKREM: It might be that people may not be aware of the diversity of breeding situations and wild animals, whilst there is, of course, the classic male-female. In wild situations, there are all sorts of combinations; several, several males, one female; different family groups.

You even have in fisheries situations where you might get a group of fish with a dominant male and females. If the male dies, one of the females can change sex and become the dominant male.

So in this case they male may appear and because certainly caught people's attention and perhaps even relation to human situations.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, certainly all sorts of combinations are common in nature, as you say.

Before, I let you go, I do want to ask you more broadly about penguins. Now this particular species of penguin, the gentoo, isn't threatened as I understand. But many others are, right?

COCKREM: Here in New Zealand, in our region, we have many penguins. We have the yellow-eyed penguin, which is threatened down in Antarctica. The emperor penguins, the largest ones that are found throughout and -- well, right around the Antarctic coast, they breed, of course, through the winter on ice.

And as that ice is starting to melt with climate change, numbers of emperor penguins over coming decades may well go down. So there are a multitude of challenges facing wild penguins.

BRUNHUBER: All right, well, listen, really appreciate getting your expertise on this story that's touched so many people around the world. Professor John Cockrem in New Zealand, thanks so much.

COCKREM: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, turning to sports, the top European football leagues are just beginning their season but they aren't the only ones. The U.S. college football season is also kicking off this weekend across the Atlantic in Dublin. Carolyn Manno joins me now.

So Carolyn, we're used to seeing the NFL crossing the pond but college football now, too. Explain what's going on here.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, college football, as you know, Kim, features amateur athletes but for those who might not follow this sport, it's widely considered the second most popular in America, behind only the NFL.

It rules over here. And when it comes to passionate supporters, this is close as you can get to club footy. Tens of thousands making the trip to Dublin to see the 10th-ranked Florida State Seminoles play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Aviva Stadium, which is the home of Ireland's national teams.

Some Florida State players getting in the international spirit, giving their take here of the Irish jig. For several of these players, this is actually the first time that they've traveled abroad.

But it is actually a homecoming of sorts for Georgia Tech punter, David Shanahan, who grew up playing Gaelic football in County Kerry in southwest Ireland. He admitted that he has had to explain a few things to his teammates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SHANAHAN, GEORGIA TECH PUNTER: I definitely fielded a lot of questions. Lots and the team didn't know England was the first language.

(LAUGHTER)

SHANAHAN -- it's pretty funny. Lot of questions about food. And I think they enjoyed the breakfast so far. What I'm probably just excited to show them the whole culture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Kickoff is at noon Eastern, 5:00 pm in Dublin.

And while football is just starting, we are at the business end of the baseball season. The Dodgers $700 million man, Shohei Ohtani, proving he is a worthy investment, tied here in the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and it is Showtime.

Ohtani launching a game-winning walk-off grand slam to beat the race. He is only the sixth member of the league's 40-40 club, 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season.

Yankee slugger Aaron Judge is chasing a home run record of his own two years after hitting 62 homeruns and breaking an American league mark that's stood for 60 years. Judge nearly on pace to do it once again. This was last night against the Rockies.

He went yard for a fourth straight game, his 49th overall. He's now on pace for 61 as the Yankees win to stay 1.5 games up on the Orioles. But Baltimore isn't going anywhere, thanks in part to Anthony Santander.

Bases loaded, trailing the strokes by three in the (INAUDIBLE) sends this one to the moon, extending his career high with his 38th homer of the year. We already saw one Gatorade bath. So, of course, another on tap as Baltimore rallies for the win to keep pace with New York in the AL East.

Those are examples of players leaving a mark on the field.

[05:55:00]

Lily, the bat dog for the Clearwater Threshers, a minor league team for the Philadelphia Phillies. She left her mark in an entirely different way, making her debut after the third inning and doing the most to her business, doing nothing. She was asked to do in the process.

Unfortunately, the team officials, Kim, say that she had to be subbed out for another bat --

(CROSSTALK)

-- but she is still a valued member of the team. She's just doing her thing. Yes. Rough stuff.

BRUNHUBER: Of all the things I expected to see today, that was not one of them. The dog being fired for just cause there, I would say.

Carolyn Manno, thanks so much. Really appreciate that.

All right. Well, Justin Bieber had a hit with the song, "Baby," some years ago and now he and his bride of six years just had a real-life newborn. Hailey and Justin Bieber announced the birth of their first son on Instagram on Friday.

The pop star posted a picture of the baby's foot, you can see there, and wrote, "Welcome home, Jack Blues Bieber." Hailey shared the photo online with a bear and blue heart emoji. And you can bet they'll never, ever be apart.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS."